The Holy Spirit in Our Lives

"Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing, In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not the Spirit."—1 Thessalonians 5:16-19

There is no better scriptural passage for our guidance. The command in verse sixteen to "rejoice evermore" shows that every day is holy to us. It was considered a sin to be sad on a holy day in Israel. While it is not possible to always rejoice in ourselves, our circumstances, or our friends, there is never a moment when it is not possible to "rejoice in the Lord" (Phil. 4:4) unless our fellowship with him is broken by some sin which we cherish and leave unconfessed.

"Pray without ceasing" (v. 17) implies four elements which we can easily remember using the acronym ACTS: Adoration of God; confession to him of our sins; thanksgiving for his forgiving love and mercy; and supplication for the needs of both our brethren and ourselves.

The admonition in verse eighteen, "in everything give thanks," suggests the victory of "glorying in tribulation." "And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us" (Rom. 5:3-5).

It is necessary to recognize, both doctrinally and in our individual experience, that God gives the holy spirit as willingly as he did at Pentecost, Caesarea, Ephesus (Acts 2:1-13; 10:44-48; 19:1-7) and that it works today in the Christian as it did in the early church before one encounters the danger of quenching that spirit (v. 19).

In verse 21 we learn that none of the things we learn by despising not the prophesyings of verse 20 are really ours until we prove them to ourselves both intellectually and experientially.

The abstinence from evil (v. 22) applies even to those things which are innocent and lawful of themselves but which might be misjudged by others and associated with questionable times, places, or circumstances.

Finally (v. 23) we have a distinct reference to the holy spirit, a complete surrender of the whole self to the control and guidance of the spirit.

In Spirit and In Truth

We are commanded to worship God "in spirit and in truth" (John 4:23)—to worship him with both the spirit and with the understanding, and to sing with them both: "What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also" (1 Cor. 14:15). God’s holy spirit ministers to our spirit just as his word ministers to our understanding. Both of these are needed for perfect guidance (Rom. 8:15-18; Acts 15:28). We must rise up like eagles on these two wings of faith and freedom seeking the carcase of truth (Matt. 24:28).

God dwells within us through Jesus Christ and we can do anything as long as we remain true to our vow of consecration and worship him in spirit and in truth. "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me" (Phil. 4:13).

Self Will

We can disobey God’s word by allowing self to distort or disbelieve what he tells us. We are not justified in doing this for we are "beheaded" (Rev. 20:4) for Christ. Christ is our head. We must not let self will interfere or our imaginations to run wild in disobedience to God’s word.

The wood that is used in fine cabinets has to be soaked frequently in water and then dried in ovens until it becomes well seasoned, so that it will neither swell nor shrink. We, like this kind of wood, must also be perfectly seasoned by the water of the word and the fire of the spirit so that we will never swell or shrink when honored by others for loyally doing the work of the harvest.

As doves will not remain where there are inharmonious sounds, neither will the holy spirit remain with one who is back-sliding or lacking in love (1 Cor. 14:23-33). When the spirit of meekness prevails, individual members of the body of Christ meet as brothers. This united, unclouded spiritual fellowship is impossible where love is lacking or when strident and unruly voices are raised.

Priestly Office

A realization of the exalted priestly office of Christ comforts and sustains us in trial or perplexity, but only when we come boldly to the throne of grace. "Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need (Heb. 4:14-16).

We must always be on the alert to hear the distressful cries of both the sheep (our older brethren) and the lambs (the newly consecrated ones) and lay down our lives daily for them.

Fruits of the Spirit

How can we tell that the holy spirit dwells in us? We know by the presence of its fruit in our lives (Matt. 7:20). We need to examine ourselves for the presence of these "fruits of the spirit" (Gal. 5:22, 23).

Love: Are we able to demonstrate our love to brethren and neighbors which we do not really like?

Joy: Are we happy to be followers of Jesus?

Peace: Are we secure when things do not seem to go right?

Long-suffering: Are we patient in dealing with the faults and imperfections of others?

Kindness: Do we excel in showing kind and tender actions?

Goodness: Do we seek to emulate Jesus by going about doing good?

Faithfulness: If our whole lives crashed down about us would we, like Job, still trust in God?

Meekness: Are we gentle in our rebukes and, like Jesus, merciful in our judgments?

Temperance: Do we exercise self control in all things?

These nine qualities will be the natural result of the holy spirit in our lives. It is worthy of note that, in Galatians 5, Paul speaks of self-centered egotism as "the works of the flesh" but the result of the indwelling of the spirit is defined as fruits.

An Abiding Spirit

Evil is alien to the new creature. Goodness suits us now. It is the thing for which we are made. Without the power of the holy spirit in our lives with purity we will never succeed in reaching that goal and the reward of immortality which accompanies it.

Any consecrated life apart from the power of the holy spirit would be a life utterly ineffective and lacking in "fruit bearing." Only as we live our lives in the power of the spirit can we weed out of our spiritual gardens the weeds of the carnal nature which are unsuited to our new creature. Otherwise we will shrivel up and die and never know the joys of the kingdom.